Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
It is expected that in the near future billions of network-connected appliances and consumer items will be employed in households, offices and various other locations. The so-called “Internet of Things” (IoT) is expected to involve connecting almost any conceivable electronic device to the Internet, through one or more channels. For example, a typical appliance may engage in power-plug enabled smart power discussions with a home power management unit and remit data to the power company while the same appliance may also have a ZigBee or Wi-Fi interface that delivers data and controls to a home automation system.
Meanwhile, customer service is still highly reactive, even on Internet browser-enabled appliances. Typically, users are sent to online knowledge bases and forums to seek answers to problems, or to general-purpose technical support staff. This approach tends to require the problem to become bad enough for the user to notice it and find it worth their time to search for help. In contrast, smart devices may probably have built-in help functions. For instance, if a lawnmower has been used for two hours and it overheats, the user screen on the lawnmower's handle or steering wheel may automatically indicate the problem with a searchable list of common resolutions for that model.